Manti Te'o Girlfriend Hoax Story Gets Own Netflix Documentary

A new Netflix documentary will explore the 2012 catfishing scandal involving NFL linebacker Manti Te'o.

Netflix released a trailer for “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist,” a two-part documentary that is set to chronicle the hoax involving the former Notre Dame star whose terminally ill girlfriend, “Lennay Kekua,” never existed.

The documentary will include interviews with Naya Tuiasosopo, formerly known as Ronaiah Tuiasosopo — the suspected mastermind behind the fake girlfriend — where she shares that she is a transgender woman, People reported.

Directors and executive producers Chapman Way and Maclain Way said in a statement that the 31-year-old Heisman Trophy nominee’s story was more “complex and nuanced” than people understood at the time.

"Our goal with 'Untold' has always been to take these moments in sports history — whether infamous, like the Tim Donaghy betting scandal, or lesser-known, like the history of AND1 — and give viewers an unfiltered, inside-access look at what really happened, told by the people who lived it. With each story we're continually surprised by our subjects — at how vulnerable they are willing to be, but also how relatable their experiences and journeys are on a deep, human level," they said, according to People.

They continued, “Our Volume 2 premiere is 'The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist,' which explores the story behind college football star Manti Te'o's headline-grabbing online relationship. It was impossible to miss this story when it first broke in 2012, but as viewers will see in the documentary, what really transpired is so much more complex and nuanced than we understood at the time. We're incredibly grateful to both Manti Te'o and Ronaiah 'Naya' Tuiasosopo for sharing their truths with us.”

During his senior season at Notre Dame in 2012, Te'o announced that his grandmother and his girlfriend both died on the same day. It immediately became one of the biggest stories in college football, ABC News reported.

However, after months of investigation, Deadspin reported in 2013 that Kekua, who supposedly battled leukemia and was a student at Stanford University, did not truly exist.

While Social Security Administration records showed that Te'o's grandmother died on Sept. 11, 2012, there was no SSA record of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other, the report said.

The pictures Te'o said were Kekua's were also discovered to be of a 22-year-old woman from Torrance, California, who said she has never met the athlete, according to Deadspin.

It was eventually reported that Te'o was the victim of a catfishing prank planned by three people.

Te'o told ESPN that he had never met Kekua in person and that her picture was always blocked whenever they spoke over video chat.

After the incident, the football star had doubts about his football career and whether or not he would still make it to the NFL.

In the trailer, Te’o said, “I was afraid this was gonna affect my NFL future.”

“My whole world changed, and I’m questioning everything,” he added.

But teams did not fail to spot Te’o potential as he still became a successful professional football player. In 2013, he was drafted into the NFL by the Los Angeles Chargers during the second round.

He also signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints in 2017. Three years later, he signed with the Chicago Bears practice squad, but the contract ended in January 2021. Te’o is now a free agent.

“Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist” premieres on Netflix on Aug. 16.